I've seen that thread, and all it tells me is that Yakushev, who was primarily a goal scorer and who for whatever reason had Canada's number, scored more goals against Canada than Maltsev, who was primarily a playmaker.

I wish there were a way to include assist totals. That would be more useful in determining who played well against Canada, at least.

Maltsev was the only Soviet All-Star in the 76 Canada Cup for what that's worth.

Edit: To me, the stat is the international equivalent of showing who scored the most playoff goals against the Montreal Canadiens dynasty of the 50s (or 70s, or choose your dynasty that was the NHL's best team by a good margin for a number of years). It shows something, but it's a very minor and selective data point in showing who was a better player overall.